Capital City

San Jose is the Capital City of Costa Rica. When taking a vacation to Costa Rica chances are your main objective is to not come and see San Jose. Unfortunately San Jose is not like many other capital cities where you can spend a few days touring around the history and different sites. Don’t talk too negative about the city because there is quite a bit to see and learn you just need to know where and have the right guide to fill you in on the history.

When it comes to cleaniness and impressive infrastructure San Jose won’t knock you off your feet. If you stick around till 2030 then you might see something impressive, well at least that is the plan. But like many cities there is always a plan to improve and it just takes time, money, and some good politics to get the ball rolling.

San Jose has a few sites that we do think are worth mentioning and that would be the Teatro National, Museo de Ora, and La Sabana Park. All three of these are worth seeing if you are in the city but all you need is half a day and then you can head out to the nearby Irazu Volcano.

The National Theatre was built by during the coffee boom by the barons and is beautiful European architecture. It is located in the center of the city which is what some consider a diamond in the rough. The gold museam is gives you a look at the pre-colombian history of Costa Rica and a chance to see some of the different pieces of gold that were discovered before and after the arrival of the Spaniards. Your third stop can be La Sabana park which is actually the old airport. This is worth seeing if you are staying for a few weeks or months and you just want to enjoy a day in the park during daylight hours. If you only have a week we would just drive by the park because there are plenty more GREEN places in the country you will be seeing.